Uncle Gene's Annual 10k Birthday

Happy Monday, and thanks for coming back!

So, Uncle Gene's birthday party was this weekend!

Okay, so he's not my uncle (he's actually Rebecca's) and yesterday was the first I met him. Pssh, details, I tell you!

It all started a couple weeks ago, when Rebecca, one of my new marathon buddies, invited me to this unique celebration. See, Uncle Gene's birthday party involves a 5k/10k run/walk. Now, some of you might be thinking, "OMG! I'm not in shape for that!", and then there some of you wondering, "Wow, that's really soft gold." But don't worry, it's actually very cool.

About 18 years ago, as Uncle Gene was realizing that he wasn't getting any younger, that's when his wife, Aunt Jan, and him decided to channel his fondness for running into his birthday celebration. And they've been doing it every since! This year, Uncle Gene is turning 72.

Uncle Gene, and his wife, Aunt Jan (if I remember correctly) live in Marina Del Rey, so they reserve an outdoor tenthouse at hotel just off the coast with a beautiful view of the ocean, and set up a course that takes you along the beach, past outdoor cafes and around yacht yards. It's very serene, especially at 9am in the morning.

Most people walk the 5k, which is approximately 3.1 miles, except for a handful of people who run either the 5k or 10k. Rebecca and I ran the 10k. So did Uncle Gene, his older brother (by a year), and a few other seniors. And of course, they were all ahead of us. They ran the entire time, while Rebecca and I used the run:walk ratio (run 3 minutes, walk 2) that we use on our long runs every week. We kept teasing them, "We're marathoners. We don't neeeed to run the entire time." It was really supportive though, and we were woo-hooing and clapping as we passed each other.

Aunt Jan organizes everything for this event, and let me tell you, she goes all out. It's great! Everyone who participates has to wear a "runner" number, including animals. Yes, there are always a few dogs that participate every year, and this year was no exception. Signs with arrows are posted. Course maps are made. Permission from the city is granted. Group photos are taken. A complimentary t-shirt, hat, button and photo CD is given to every guest, including +1's, like myself. My personal favorite, though, is the start / finish line with a large digital timer display! And then, a photograph is taken of each person as they cross the finish line!!

Then, we notate our times, so Aunt Jan can hand out fun awards/prizes, which I missed because I had to leave, but to me, more exciting was the fact she posts a big list of everyone's times for all 17 previous run/walks. So pretty much, you can see what Uncle Gene's did 18 years ago, and if I were to be there next year, I would be on the list, too.

No one sings happy birthday and no gifts are given to Uncle Gene. After the run/walk, everyone fills their plates with fruit, bagels, lox and schmear for brunch, and by the time they are done, the cake is ready and waiting to be served on their individual plates. And instead of gifts, they set up a jar for a charity of their choice, encouraging people to turn that gift money into a donation.

Then, Aunt Jan announces everything from "fastest walker in the 5k" to "fastest dog". Or at least that's what I've been told, and I think she gives out a ribbon or something. After seeing everything else, I'd almost be surprised if she didn't. It was so official looking, that local residents that crossed our path inquire what competition we were in, ha! Unfortunately, though, I had to go, but it was just so lovely to be part of it all. As Rebecca said so wisely when she was first telling me about this, "What a great way to celebrate life."

After running 8 miles with our group on Saturday, Rebecca and I ran another 6.2 miles at Uncle Gene's with a finish time of 1:21:21, which was great and right on target for our pace group.

Then, about half way through our run, it struck me that I woke up at 6am on a Sunday morning (me, a night person!) to do all this, and as I was running, I realized I couldn't imagine doing anything else more fun.